Ups & Downs

It was definitely a week of ups and downs...towards the beginning of the week we decided to go through the records and call everyone we had information for and four people said they would come to church on Sunday! Then some lessons fell through this week and then only one of the four came on Sunday which was a bummer :( but she said she wanted to meet again and we have lessons scheduled again this week so we're gonna bounce back!! Meeting Dormina and Koština (getting baptized in August) on Sunday was amazing, they have powerful spirits and are so happy and excited! 


I loved having the opportunity to bear my testimony to the branch here in Rijeka during church and teach some lessons in Croatian in district council and with members! We did some service cutting down good old thorn bushes for an older couple named Gianni and Marica, took me back a little- (if you knew me growing up, you know that I was cutting blackberry bushes on the daily haha). They are hilarious and ill try to get a picture with them before next week because they're my favorite people I've met so far. 


We also had a little emergency trip back to Zagreb so all the missionaries could get vaccinated. We had most of the elders from Slovenia, Bosnia, and Croatia there, such a party haha they're a bunch of goofballs for sure...but while we were there I finally found a REAL PIANO to play on at the mission palace!! I cannot describe how relieved I was to hear real notes on a real piano again. (I've been playing on a keyboard where some keys are loud and others are soft and half of them don't play :) That night was spent freezing in the attic (one elder insisted we needed the fans on while we were all shivering) amidst a huge rainstorm that hit Zagreb that evening. All in all, it was a good time to say the least haha 


Spiritual thought: I had a really powerful experience this week after listening to a talk called "Return and Recieve". In it, we are invited to read Alma 5 and as we read to do a personal interview with ourselves to assess our goals, desires and what we need to change. I got a big wake up call on what I need to change and also the gentle promise that "if you will hearken unto His voice, He will bring you into His fold". I invite you guys to try this! If you do so with an attitude of prayer and humility, I promise it will impact you. 


Thank you for your love and prayers, I am praying for you too :)


Elder Neil


P.S. We did a quick trip to Pula and Rovinj today (see pictures) and I came so close to faking dropping our apartment keys in the water so I could jump in after them haha jokes jokes don't worry too much... 


Pictures:
1: An old picture of my district arriving in Zagreb
2: Rijeka sunsets are unmatched (except for Depoe Bay)
3-4: the Colisseum in Pula!! It was NUTS!
5: Old temple 
6-7: the water in Rovinj...






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